Photo courtesy Terry Dunlap
The tradition goes back to 1988 when the late Sam Patterson started selling pumpkins from his front yard. His longtime business partner, Terry Dunlap Sr., continues Sam’s Pumpkin Patch today.
For Dunlap, the spirit and quality of harvest are far more important than any quantity.
“I have no idea (how many pumpkins we grow),” says Dunlap of his 15-acre farm. “Hundreds and hundreds.”
Dunlap prizes the diversity the patch produces every year. Pumpkins in sunset oranges, creamy whites, earthy greens and spooky blacks. Round and tall, large and small, giant and tennis ball-sized. The patch also sells gourds, cornstalks and honey.
“We pride ourselves on having variety that people don’t have,” Dunlap says.
Planting the Seed
Born in Pennsylvania in 1933, Patterson moved to Pickerington in 1961 and worked at the now-defunct Pickerington Creamery, a large employer in the area during the 20th century. Patterson also worked for Western Electric and Southfield Construction and spent time as the streets and maintenance supervisor for the city.
Before he was known as “Sam the Pumpkin Man” he was the “Sweet Corn King,” says Darla Berman, Patterson’s daughter.
“Then he went into pumpkins,” she says.
Courtesy of Darla Berman
Seeds from the Past
Darla Berman, daughter of Sam’s Pumpkin Patch founder Sam Patterson, found a jar of pumpkin seeds when cleaning out her father’s house. This year, she decided to plant some of the seeds in her garden, yielding her first pumpkin this past summer.
Her father didn’t consider anyone who came to his pumpkin patch a stranger, Berman says. He enjoyed entertaining the children who came and gave baby-size pumpkins to infants.
“He was like everybody’s grandpa,” Dunlap says. “He always talked to everybody. He cared about people.”
As Pickerington grew – and the demand for pumpkins in fall grew with it – Patterson began looking for more land to produce the crop.
Enter Dunlap, who helped Patterson get the resources and land he needed to increase the numbers of pumpkins to grow. The two worked together for 15 years before Patterson retired.
“Terry was a good friend of Dad,” Berman says.
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Courtesy of Sarah Gibson, Erin Miller and Janet McVay
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Courtesy of Sarah Gibson, Erin Miller and Janet McVay
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Courtesy of Sarah Gibson, Erin Miller and Janet McVay
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Courtesy of Sarah Gibson, Erin Miller and Janet McVay
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Courtesy of Sarah Gibson, Erin Miller and Janet McVay
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Courtesy of Sarah Gibson, Erin Miller and Janet McVay
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Courtesy of Sarah Gibson, Erin Miller and Janet McVay
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Courtesy of Sarah Gibson, Erin Miller and Janet McVay
Patterson retired in 2016 and died about two years later. Berman says the reception the family received in the aftermath of his death was humbling. People shared condolences on social media and gave the family songs and books that local children had written about their memories at the pumpkin patch.
When Patterson retired in 2016, Dunlap says he promised Patterson he would continue the tradition of Sam’s Pumpkin Patch. Sometimes he’s mistaken for Sam by new visitors to the patch. If they’re local, Dunlap fills in the details.
While it’s bittersweet for some members of Patterson’s family, Berman says she’s glad the tradition is still around.
“I’m just glad people are still able to get pumpkins here locally,” she says. “I hope it can continue for the families here in town and that people can just be provided a great experience just like they always had when they were coming to my dad’s front door.”
Brandon Klein is the senior editor. Feedback welcome at bklein@cityscenemediagroup.com.
